SHACKLETON SERIES WINTER RACE DATES  - 2009/2010 SERIES

 Not familiar with this series? Click here to read more!

ANDRE SAILS ON THE GREAT LAKES! - This past July our fearless leader, Andre Rijsdijk, had the honor of participating in the Port Huron Mackinac race up on Lake Huron. Chris Cyrul, skipper of the Olson 30 Opus Dei that has appeared in a few of our Shackleton Races, took Andre and a crew of three others to sail the Thunder Bay Course, 214 nautical miles course that took them 51 hours and 37 minutes to complete. Conditions varied throughout the race and a brief squall was encountered early on. Opus Dei did an excellent job and led their division for a good portion of the race and finished 4th overall out of 46 boats. Congratulations on a great race! And for those interested in seeing Andre labor as rail meat, we are happy to oblige with the picture on the left! (photo taken by Kent Kindervater)

TENNESSEE BOAT REGISTRATION FOR DOCUMENTED VESSELS - According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, vessels with a valid document issued by the United States Coast Guard shall not be required to display a certificate of number but shall display a current vessel validation decal issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The decal shall be located on each side of the vessel on the windows located nearest the main operator station or, if not equipped with windows, the decal shall be placed in the immediate vicinity of the operator so that the decal is clearly visible to enforcement officers. Documented vessels which have chosen to display tne TN numbers on the forepart of the vessel hull may, at the owners discretion, affix the decal in that location in lieu of the windows.

Sailboats, in lieu of that location, may place the decal on the bottom of the main mast, on both the port and starboard sides.

NOTICE TO NAVIGATION INTERESTS - From the US Army Corps of Engineers Dated January 4, 2010 - Revised Schedule for Lock Outages in the Nashville District for Calendar Year 2010:

Fort Loudon Lock at Tennessee River Mile 602.3 - The lock is scheduled for closure to navigation traffic from 6:00 a.m. on April 20, 2010 through 6:00 p.m. on May 11, 2010.

Chickamauga Lock at Tennessee River Mile 471.0 - The lock is scheduled for closure to navigation traffic from 6:00 a.m. on July 20, 2010 through 6:00 p.m. on August 16, 2010.

Watts Bar Lock at Tennessee River Mile 529.9 - The lock is scheduled for closure to navigation traffic from 6:00 a.m. on October 12, 2010 through 6:00 p.m. on November 2, 2010.

Chickamauga Lock is also scheduled to be closed to navigation traffic during late April and early May to allow contractors to complete work inside the chamber. Details about this closure are still being worked out to reduce the delay to traffic. Exact dates of this closure and information about passage of traffic during this period will be released when arrangements have been finalized. Comments regarding the Chickamauga Lock closures can be addressed to Matt Emmons, Chickamauga Lockmaster at 423-875-6230.

 From the US Army Corps of Engineers Dated April 8, 2008 RECREATION BOAT RESTRICTIONS CHICKAMAUGA LOCK TRM 471.0: The C.J. Mahan Company is currently constructing a cofferdam in the area of the downstream lower approach at Chickamauga Lock. Hazards to recreational boating safety throughout the entire construction area are present from the lower guidewalls of the lock downstream to the lower mooring cell. Hazards for commercial barges extend downstream of the existing railroad bridge. Recreational boats requesting a northbound lockage are required to remain downstream of the lower mooring cell below the railroad bridge until permission is granted by the Lockmaster to navigate through the construction area and enter the lock. The Lockmaster or Lock Operator on duty should be contacted on Marine Channel 16 or by calling (423) 875-6230 to request permission to lock and receive pertinent locking instructions. Recreational boats not requesting lockage are required to remain outside of the white and orange "restricted access buoys" marking the construction area.

CHRISTMAS 2008 - Thanks to Clarence Myers for the spectacular night photo below showing the festive atmosphere on the docks during the Christmas 2008 holiday season!

DO YOU HAVE DREAMS OF CRUISING IN YOUR SAILBOAT?  If so, the following is required reading! Not long ago, the Lings (Rodger, Annie, and Laura) embarked on a 1-1/2 year journey that took them from the Tennessee River down to the Caribbean, up the East Coast to Maine, back down to the Bahamas, and then finally back home to Chickamauga Lake. All on their S2 35 center cockpit Seaductress! So if you are planning a cruise on your boat and want to see what it is like, or if you simply want to live your cruising life vicariously through someone else, by all means visit their cruising blog at http://www.stationr.org/water/log/index.html . There are some really fabulous photos and entertaining blog entries! You can also check some video footage of their adventures as well by seeing their award winning video on Cruising World's web page!

CHICKAMAUGA LOCK UPDATE - The ground breaking has been done on the new Chickamauga Lock scheduled for completion sometime in 2013. There have been many rumors floating around as to how the construction for the next several  years will effect local boating. From what we have read, the effect will be very little. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, lock closures will be minimal and the water levels are not expected to vary from normal seasonal adjustments. For more information on the lock construction, please visit http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/pao/chickamaugalock/ .

DID YOU KNOW? Tennessee residents born after January 1, 1989 must show a TWRA-issued boating safety education certificate when operating a boat or personal watercraft. This certificate must be on board with you. For more information on how to obtain this certificate contact the TWRA website at www.tnwildlife.org or call 1-800-837-6012.

Nelson Bennett shows how little wind is needed to sail his Sea Pearl 21 as he glides around behind "A Dock".